The district includes pre-Norman settlements along the right bank of the River Ouse, the main waterway, and the Norman abbey at Selby town. Farther west an old land route, following a limestone outcrop traversed by Ermine Street in Roman times, links York with the brewing town of Tadcaster on the River Wharfe.

The formerly marshy district was extensively drained in the 18th century, and today it is intensively cultivated. Its farms are served by the markets of Tadcaster and Selby, an inland port on the River Ouse, as well as neighbouring York. Selby town processes agricultural products at large flour mills and a sugar beet factory. Other industry in the district is based on local minerals. The limestone used in the construction of York Minster (cathedral) was quarried in the district; limestone is still quarried there, and south of Tadcaster gypsum is mined for use in making plasterboard. From the mid-1970s, mining of the previously underdeveloped Selby coalfield contributed significantly to the district economy. However, the Selby colliery became increasingly unprofitable, and the last mine closed in 2004. Area district, 231 square miles (599 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 13,012; district, 76,468; (2011) town, 14,731; district, 83,449.

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